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2023/2024

Cultural Studies in Anglophone Countries

Code: 106322 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2504212 English Studies OT 3 1
2504212 English Studies OT 4 1
2504380 English and Catalan Studies OT 0 1
2504380 English and Catalan Studies OT 3 1
2504380 English and Catalan Studies OT 4 1
2504386 English and Spanish Studies OT 3 1
2504386 English and Spanish Studies OT 4 1
2504393 English and French Studies OT 0 1
2504393 English and French Studies OT 3 1
2504393 English and French Studies OT 4 1
2504394 English and Classics Studies OT 3 1
2504394 English and Classics Studies OT 4 1

Contact

Name:
Andrew Monnickendam Findlay
Email:
andrew.monnickendam@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.


Prerequisites

This is an optional subject conducted entirely in English.

Students should just have an interest in culture in general, including literature, film, and art, as well as a specific interest in food studies.


Objectives and Contextualisation

Cultural studies is an extremely broad term. In 2023-24, the course will focus on probably the fastest expanding area of interest and research: food studies.

 The major aim of this course is to introduce the student to the fascinating world of food studies as it affects our everyday world, our language, and our culture, in literature, film, and art.

 A second is to comprehend that contemporary food studies is highly inter- and multi-disciplinary subject. How and why, until recently, did food studies, outside specific fields such as nutritional science, play such a major role in our lives and such a minor role in the university curriculum?

 A third will be to analyse the two basic research lines: food systems and foodways.

The fourth will be to understand the ramifications of that difficult word: foodways.

 Using the English-speaking world and its culture as a point of departure, we will extend our view to global issues and phenomena.

 


Competences

    English Studies
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Apply the methodology of analysis and critical concepts to analysing the literature, culture and history of English-speaking countries.
  • Critically evaluate linguistic, literary and cultural production in English.
  • Demonstrate skills to develop professionally in the fields of linguistic applications, teaching and literary and cultural management in English.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of literature, culture and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Understand and produce written and spoken academic texts in English at advanced higher-proficient-user level (C2).
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources for the collection and organisation of information.
  • Use written and spoken English for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, the philosophy of language, history, English culture and literature.
    English and Catalan Studies
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Critically evaluate the literary and cultural production in the Catalan and English languages and their historical and social context.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of English and French literature, culture and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Identify and interpret literary texts in different languages, analysing the generic, formal, thematic and cultural characteristics in accordance with the concepts and methods of comparative literature and literary theory.
  • Make correct use of written and spoken English for academic or professional purposes, related to the study of language, history, culture and literature.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
    English and Spanish Studies
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Correctly use written and oral English and Spanish for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
  • Critically analyse linguistic, literary and cultural production in English and Spanish, applying the techniques and methods of critical editing and digital processing.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of literature, culture, literary theory, language and linguistics, in Spanish and English, and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
    English and French Studies
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Critically apply the different current philological methodologies to interpret literary texts in English and French and their cultural and historical context.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of English and French literature, culture and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Evaluate and propose solutions to theoretical or practical problems in the fields of English and French literature, culture and linguistics.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
  • Use spoken English and French correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
    English and Classics Studies
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Apply the methodology of analysis and knowledge of genres, metrics and stylistics to comment on literary texts and analyse the culture and history of English-speaking countries and the ancient world.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of literature, culture and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
  • Use written and spoken English correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of English linguistics, history, culture, and literature.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse and interpret at an advanced level any aspect of current culture and society in the English language and its textual representation.
  2. Apply the knowledge acquired to a professional context related to cultural and social communication in English.
  3. Carry out bibliographic searches of secondary sources related to current culture and society in English and their textual representation, using digital technologies (catalogues and databases).
  4. Demonstrate a full understanding of a wide range of literary, audio-visual and essayistic texts related to aspects of current culture and society in English (C2), and recognise implicit meaning.
  5. Demonstrate a full understanding of a wide range of literary, audio-visual and essayistic texts related to aspects of current culture and society in English, and recognise implicit meaning at a higher-proficient-user level (C2).
  6. Demonstrate autonomy in learning subjects of social, scientific or ethical interest related to Literature and Culture.
  7. Demonstrate full comprehension of a wide range of literary, audio-visual and essayistic texts related to aspects of current culture and society in English and recognise implicit meanings in these at Advanced User level (C1).
  8. Demonstrate full comprehension of a wide range of literary, audiovisual and essay texts related to aspects of current culture and society in English at proficient-user level (C1), and recognise implicit meaning.
  9. Demonstrate full comprehension of, and recognise implicit meaning in, a wide range of literary, audio-visual and essayistic texts at higher-proficient-user level (C2) related to aspects of current culture and society in English.
  10. Demonstrate full comprehension of, and recognise implicit meaning in, a wide range of literary, audio-visual and essayistic texts related to aspects of current culture and society in English at higher-proficient-user level (C2).
  11. Demonstrate understanding at advanced proficient-user level (C1) of a wide range of nineteenth-century literary texts in English and recognise implicit meaning.
  12. Develop advanced-level critical arguments applied to the interpretation of primary and secondary sources dealing with current English-language culture and society and its textual representation.
  13. Develop coherent discourses on literature and culture in English and apply these discourses to the analysis of social and academic reality.
  14. Discuss with critical arguments orally in the classroom primary and secondary sources dealing with current English language culture and society and their textual representation.
  15. Distinguish principal ideas from secondary ideas and summarise literary, audiovisual and essayistic texts related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  16. Distinguish principal ideas from secondary ideas and synthesise literary, audiovisual and essayistic texts related to current culture and society in the English language, and their textual representation.
  17. Express oneself effectively by applying argumentative and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts, in the language studied.
  18. Express oneself fluently, correctly, appropriately and effectively, both orally and in writing, in an academic environment.
  19. Express oneself in English orally and in writing in an academic register and using appropriate terminology in relation to cultural, transnational and gender studies in English-speaking countries.
  20. Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.
  21. Locate and organise relevant English-language information available on the internet, databases and libraries, and apply this to work and/or research environments.
  22. Locate specialised and academic information and select this according to its relevance.
  23. Make oral presentations in English (C2) of advanced academic content on topics related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  24. Make oral presentations in English (C2), of advanced academic content on topics related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  25. Make oral presentations in English at Mastery level (C2) of advanced academic content on topics related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  26. Make oral presentations in English at advanced higher-proficient-user level (C2) of advanced academic content on topics related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  27. Make oral presentations in English of advanced academic content on topics related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  28. Participate in face-to-face and virtual discussions in English on topics related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  29. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  30. Produce advanced academic work of critical content in relation to primary and secondary sources dealing with current English language culture and society and its textual representation.
  31. Produce written and oral academic discourse with a fluency and accuracy appropriate at Advanced User level (C1).
  32. Produce written and oral academic discourse with a fluency and accuracy appropriate to a higher-proficient-user level (C2).
  33. Produce written and oral academic discourse with a fluency and accuracy appropriate to a proficient-user level (C1).
  34. Rigorously assess the values conveyed by the texts analysed, making constructive criticism.
  35. Take part in face-to-face and online debates in English on topics related to the culture and society in English and their representation in texts.
  36. Understand and differentiate adequately between the concepts of literature and culture in English, as well as their mutual relations and interactions.
  37. Understand and reflect on literature and culture in English, situating these in their contexts and historical circumstances.
  38. Write advanced argumentative essays (C2) in English on topics related to current culture and society in English and their textual representation.
  39. Write argumentative essays at Mastery level (C2) in English on topics related to current culture and society in English and their textual representation.
  40. Write argumentative essays at advanced higher-proficient-user level (C2) in English on topics related to current culture and society in English and their textual representation.

Content

The contents follow the structure of Willa Zehn’s book, Food Studies, A Hands-on Guide (Bloomsbury 2019), which is the set-book for this subject.

  1. Introduction – what is food studies?
  2. From foodie to food studies
  3. Food, identity and culture
  4. From producers to consumers
  5. Food and technology
  6. Globalization and food.

Methodology

Willa Zehn’s Food StudiesA Hands-on Guide (Bloomsbury 2019) is the set-book for this subject. Students should obtain this book, also available as an ebook, before the beginning of the course in order to familiarise themselves with its content.

  • Our method consists in analysing the basic theoretical principles articulated in Zehn’s book before applying them to the areas of food systems and foodways. Students will therefore have to acquire the correct terminology.
  • The second step will be to analyse how a topic affects our everyday life.
  • The third will study the representation of that topic in culture, both historically and contemporaneously. Why are food and meals so important in literary texts?

 

For each chapter, we will apply the general concept to a specific item.

  • For example, from chapter 5, on food and technology, we will take the case of UPF (ultra-processed food), examining our own experience of consumption of UPFs. Which UPFs do we ourselves ingest? Why are we eating more? What are consequences to our health, the economy, social interaction, and culture?
  • In chapter 6, how has globalization affected our knowledge of other cultures? Has it made us more tolerant and subsequently citizens of the world? Or, alternatively, is eating a plate of sushi cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation?

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Supervised activities 50 2 18, 17, 19, 35, 28, 31
Type: Supervised      
Supervised activities 25 1 6, 7, 25
Type: Autonomous      
Autonomous activities 50 2 1, 6, 5, 15, 3, 22, 30, 39, 40

Assessment

Continous assessment

Classroom based activies includes group presentation for November or December.

Written assignment 1: project outline and short papers for November or December.

Written assignment 2: final project or exam, last teaching day of the semester.

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

 

Reassement

Reassessment for this subject requires a content-synthesis test, for which the following conditions are

applicable:

  • The student must previously have submitted a minimum of two-thirds of the course-assessment items.
  • The student must previously have obtained an average overall grade equal to or higher than 3.5.
  • The student must previously have passed 66% of the subject's assessment requirements.
  • The maximum grade than can be obtained through re-assessment is 5.
  • Classroom based activities are not eligible for reassessment.
  • Students can't attend the reassessment to improve their marks. 
  • If the student can't attend the exam because s/he is sick, they will have to agree on an alternative date with the teacher.

 

Single assessment option

Assessment will take place in January, 2024 on one date only, to be announced.

Project, 40%

Oral exam, 30%

Written exam, 30%

The same re-assessment method as for continuous assessment will be used.

Plagiarism

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation  in the grade awarded to an assessment activity,the student will be given a zero for this  activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as  the final grade for this subject.

Irregularities refer, for instance, to copying in an exam, copying from sources without indiacting authorship, or a misuse of AI such as presenting work as original that has been generated by an AI tool or programme. These evaluation activities will not be re-assessed.]

Not assessed

 Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than 1/3 of the assessment items.

 

 


Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Classroom based activities 25% 5 0.2 1, 36, 14, 10, 5, 12, 13, 15, 37, 18, 17, 19, 3, 25, 23, 24, 26, 27, 20, 21, 22, 28, 35, 29, 32, 30, 34
Written assignment 1 25% 5 0.2 1, 36, 14, 6, 8, 9, 4, 7, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 25, 24, 26, 20, 21, 22, 28, 33, 31, 32, 30, 39, 40, 38
Written assignment 2 50% 15 0.6 1, 2, 6, 11, 7, 5, 10, 12, 13, 16, 15, 37, 18, 17, 3, 20, 21, 22, 29, 33, 31, 32, 30, 39, 40, 38, 34

Bibliography

Set-text

 Zhen, Willa. Food Studies: A Hands-on Guide. London: Bloomsbury, 2019.

 

Bibliography

 Belasco, Warren, Food: The Key Concepts. Oxford: Berg, 2019

Bower, Anne L (ed). Reel Food: Essays on Food and Film. ONLINE

Cairns, Kate & Johnston, Josée. Food and Femininity. London: Bloomsbury, 2015

Counihan and Van Esterik (eds). Food and Culture: A Reader. London: Routledge, 2008

Charles, Daniel. Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, Big Money and the Future of Food.

Cambridge MA: Perseus Cooks, 2002.

Donna Gabaccia. We Are What We Eat: Ethnic Foods and the Making of Americans. ONLINE

Lewis, Tania. Digital Food. London: Bloomsbury, 2020.

Mennell, Stephen. All Manners of Food: Eating and Taste in England and France from the Middle Ages to the Present. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986.

Mintz, Sidney. Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. New York: Penguin, 1986.

Patel, Raj. Stuffed and Starved: Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System. London: Portobello, 2007.

Probyn, Eslpeth. Carnal Appetites: Food, Sex, Identities. ONLINE

Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2001.

Stuart Tristram. Waste. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2009.

Van Tulleken, Chris. Ultra-processed People


Software

Not applicable